System of superheated-steam distribution



Oct. 28, 1930. F. MANTONYA 1,779,552

SYSTEM OF SUPERHEATED STEAM DISTRIBUTION Filed June rl8, 1927' Jgl- 9 7 JE E- //V VE/V TOR.

A TTOR/VE 13.

Patented /Oct. 28, 1930 UNI E .srA"resv imivrns RIMANTONYA, or ALBUQUERQUE, nevi/Mexico rATENTYo Fits sYstrnMoF SUPERHEATED-S'IEAM DISTRIBUTION Application filed June 18,

' obtain its maximum working eiiiciency,

Some of the important objects of this invention are: the provisionof a system of superheated steam distribution for utilizing for all purposes steam generated by a locomotive as superheated steam; the diminishing of maintenance costyand a greater degree of safety in operation and efiiciency, which is accomplished the boiler and super-heater units being in operation as steam generating equipment at all times, whether the locomotive is in operation or not.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a system of steam distribution whereby normally'super-heated steam only is directed to the] engine cylinders, and having means intermediate thecylinders and superheater for controlling the flow of superheated steam to theucylinders'.

Another object of this invention is the provisionof a steam distribution system embody:

ing in addition to the usual wet steam dome and inside saturated steam conduit or dry pipe, a super-heatedsteam domeand outside dry pipeexterior of the boiler and adapted to normally contain and direct super-heated steam to the cylinders and utilities but convertible to cut-ofi the super-heated steam and supply saturated steam from the wet dome directly to the cylinders" and utilities.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a system of steam distribution whereby the life of the super-heater unitsis extended by their being in operation at all times and therefore not subject to the severe strain. of being red hot and having wet steam and sometimes water thrown into them when the throttle is first opened, or after a long coast as is now the'case.

A principal object of this invention is the '7 provision of a system of superh'eatedsteam 1927. Serial No. 199,747.

creasing their eiii'ciency, but creating circula f tion through the super-heater units to "prevent deterioration of such units Whenjthe, locomotive is not in motiom'and at the same time permitting instant utilization of the superheated steam for starting the loco-o motive.

A'still further object ofthisinvention i the provision of a steam dome] fo rjsuper heated steam conneotedto the wet steam, dome by anoutside steam. conduit or dry pipe and also having direct connection with the super heater" and engine cylinders, re

spectively 1 M v T Another important object of this, invention is the provision of a system of this character having means in'c'onnection with [the super-heated steam dome to control the fiow of superheated steam from the super-heater, means within the domeoperablej to control the flow of super-heated steamjto the engine cylinders, and means intermediate the-superheater dome and wet steam dome for nor mal ly closing-the cylinders or dry pipe between said domes. c c I y i A further object. of this invention is'the provision of a system of super-heated steam distribution, whereby the cylinders, the superheater, and boiler may be expeditiously and independently hydrostatically tested hi: loose connections, steam leakage, or the li e.

With these and other obi ects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the. construe tion, combination and arrangementof parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying-drawings, in whichlike characters of, reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which: I

Fig. 1 is a fragmentaryside elevation with parts in vertical longitudinal section of a locomotive .andfsteam system illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the; line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking toward the rear; and i Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the forward portion of a' locomotive engine showing the exterior operating connections of the superheated steam throttle valve.

In the types of locomotive boilers embodying super-heater systems now in use, usually the cut-off or throttle valve is located at the saturated steam entrance and consequently when the throttle is closed after the locomotive has had a hard pull upgrade and is steamed to the maximum capacity, when the throttle is shut off during the down grade, such steam as remains in the superheater is soon transformed into hot gas, the temperature of which is increased as it courses back and forth from one cylinder to the other through the heating units, and as it is projected into the cylinders the oil spray is burned on the cylinder walls, thereby forming carbon which is a great source of trouble and expense.

It was to overcome such disadvantages that I placed the throttle valve at the discharge end of the super-heater in close proximity to the cylinder steampipes, thereby preventing steam or gases from reaching the cylinders during the coasting of the locomotive, with consequent great elimination of the accumulation of carbon on the cylinder walls, as hasheretofore been prevalent.

In designing my system for the distribution of super-heated steam, I have added to the present system without necessitating great labor or change in present structure to install, and at the same time effecting a dual circulating system by which either superheated or saturated steam may be fed direct to the cylinders, and the said structural arrangement efiecting a further saving in time and labor incident to repairs, by mounting the cylinder pipe and super-heater connections exterior of the boiler, and with a minimum of exposure to the atmosphere.

Further, by operating the utilities and especially the blower on superheated steam and by creating a continuous circulation through the system a burning out of the super-heater units is prevented, and by having superheated steam instantly available for use in the engine cylinders a great saving in the consumption of fuel is effected.

Also, in addition to the above, owing to the number of ground joints common to all systems of this character, a hydrostatic testing of the device is of paramount importance. Therefore a system such as-I have designed which admits through the instrumentality ofa plurality of properly positioned valves, of the components such as the cylinders, superheater units, andboiler proper to be easily tested, either independently or conjointly, effects a great saving in time and labor.

In the illustrated embodiment characterizing this invention there is shown boiler 1, a wet steam dome 2, throttle valve 3, saturated steam dry pipe 4, super-heater header 5, and super-heater pipes 6 of conventional construction, and for a purpose well understood in the art.

A dome 7, for super-heated steam, is suitably mounted on the boiler 1 spaced from the smoke stack 8 and is formed with a top 9 detachably secured by bolts 10 or other suitable fastening elements to effect a steam tight joint. A portion of the interior of the dome 7 is partitioned off by the substantially inverted L-shaped partition wall 11 to form a header 12 for. a purpose which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The said dome 7 is centrally apertured as at 13 to register with one end of a flanged super-heated steam feeder pipe 14 preferably secured by bolts 15 or other element to form a steam tight connection, and which pipe is adapted to extend through the boiler and be similarly connected at 'ts other end to the discharge end of the superheater by bolts 16, providing a direct passage of superheated stean'i from the superheater 5 to the dome 7 the flow of which is controlled by a valve 17 placed in thev pipe 14 adjacent its upper end, the connecting points a and 7) being secured by bolts 17 and while in the present instance it is shown as operated by hand wheel 0 it may, if desired, be operated. from the cab with equal facility.

The portion of the dome wall which is also common to the header 12 is apertured on either side of the feeder pipe 14, at 18, and a pair of cylindrical steam pipes 19 are positioned within the smoke box 20 conforming to and adapted to lie flush with each inner side wall thereof so not to interfere with the ready removal of the superheater header 5, wet steam dry pipe 4, etc., with their lower ends extending through aperture 21 and suitably connected to the cylinders'22. The upper ends of said pipes 19 extend through apertures 23, re ister with the apertures 18, and are secured to the dome 7, similar to pipe 1 1, by bolts 24, thereby establishing direct steam connection between the header 12 and cylinders 22.

The flow of steam through the pipes 19 to cylinders 22 is controlled by a throttle valve 25 suitably mounted in the header partition 11 provided with a shaft 26 extending to the exterior of the dome 7 through stuffing box (not shown) and having mounte on its free end a pinion 27 adapted to mesh with rack 28 connected to control. rod 29 extending to the cab of the locomotive.

Connection between the wet steam dome 2 and superheated steam dome is effected by a normally superl'ieated steam dry pipe or conduit 30, one end registering with aperture 31 in dome 7 and secured by bolts 0! other fastening elements 32, and the other end registering with aperture 33 in wet steam dome 2 and similarly secured by bolts 32. A valve 3 1 is suitably mounted in dry pipe adjacent wet steam dome 2, operable by hand wheel 35 to normally cut o'ff conneotion with said-dome, and which may with equal facility be operated from the-locomotivc cab if desired. I The dry pipe 30 inter mediate the valve 3a and superheated steam dome 7 is apertu-red as 'at 36 to receive the' pipe connection 37ofthe lead off or feeder pipe 38, which is adapted to supply superhea-ted steam 'for operation of the utilities such as stoken injector,water and ail-pump blower, etc, which being conventional are i more or less diagrammatically shown in 1 by the lead insSS, 38", 38 and blower 38% continuo-usly, irrespective of Whether the cylinder operating throttle valve 2 5 is tinuously passing therethrough maintains the sand in a thoroughly dry state, which is highly desirable. I

Vith further reference to the facility with which this system lends itself to effecting hydrostatic testing of its components, it might be well to explain that to test the cylinders only, itvis but necessary to close the throttle 25 and inject the water or desired pressure fluid through drain cook 40 in the cylinder 22. To test the superheater units independently, throttles 3 and 25 and valve 17 are closed and the pressure fluid is introduced through pet cock 41 located in the pipe 14 intermediate the boiler surface and valve 17, or it may also be tested with the dome 7 and dry pipe 30, by introducing the said fluid through drain cook 42 located at the base of dome 7 in which event valve 17 is opened. By opening valves 17 and 34 and throttles 2 and 25 the entire system may be tested as a unit.

While the operation of the device would seem to be clear from the above description, it might be well to briefly state that the throttle 3 normally remains open so that the circulation of the saturated steam from the dome 2 through the super-heating units may not be interrupted. The'valve 17 is normally open and valve 34 normally is closed so that the super-heated steam is uninterruptedly circulated through the dome 7, dry pipe 80, and feeder conduit 38 to the utili ties at all times irrespective of Whether the throttle 25 is opened or closed. This creates a continuous circulation through the superheater units and prevents their burning out when the super-heated steam is not being fed to the cylinders as is the case at the present time, the throttle 25 being operable from the locomotive cab to normally supply superheated steam. to the cylinders from the dome 7 through the header l2 and cylinder steam pipes 19. Should the super-heater units become damaged or for any reason :it be desirable to operate the cylinders on saturated steam, it isonly necessary toclose valve 17,

throttle 3 a-nd open valve 34 whereupon the super-heated steam will be cut off and the circulation of the saturated steam reversed so that it will be supplied direct to the cylinders from the wet steam dome, throughdry pipe 30, dome ,throttle 25, header"12 and: cylinder pipes 1 9. It is evident from the" above that my device comprises a dual steam circulating system and that the utilities will be automatically supplied withieither superheated steam or saturated steam dependent upon whether the cylinders are operated on super-heated orsaturated steam.

It is apparent that the above system not only effects a great saving in consumption. of.

fuel by normally operatingthe utilities at. all. times on super-heated steam as well as the cylinders and by cutting off all connection with the super-heated units during coasting of the locomotive or when it is not in motion, eliminates, to. a great extent, ac

cumulation of carbon'onl the cylinder walls and inadditlon is simple-1n construct-ion, requ1rlng-1l1ttle ChELIIgGGl'III the present loco-- motive and slight labor to install,zinexpensive to manufacture and efficient for the purposes intended.. a I Although in. practice, I have found the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing'and referred to. in the above-description as the preferredembodiment is the most efiicient and practical; yet. realizing the-conditions concurrent with the adoption of my devicewill necessarily vary, I. desirev to emphasize that; variousminor changes in details of construction, proportion, and arrangement of parts,jmay be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrific in any of the principles of this invention.

aving thus described my invention, what.

I desire protected by Letters Patent. is as set forth in thefollowingclaims; e

1. In combination" ith a superheaterfor locomotives and the like, including ]a wet steam dome, a superheating unit, a distribut-' ing means from the wet steam dome to the superheat'ing unit, a superheated steam dome connected-to said superheating unit and an exteriorvalved connection between the superheated steam dome and the Wet steam dome.- V 2 In combination. with a superheater forlocomotives and. the like, including an exterior wet steam dome, awet steam header, a

superheating unit communicating with said wet steam header and adistributing means from the W tsteam dome to thewet steam header, an exterior superheated steam dome,

a superheated steam header- I communicating with said superheating unit, an exterior valved;v c nn ction etwesn aid m nd. a eltedldistributing pipe from; thesuperleis:

heated steam header to the superheated steam dome.

3. In combination with a superheater for locomotives and the like, including an exterior wet steam dome, a superheating unit, a distributing means from the wet steam dome to the superheating unit, an exterior superheated steam dome connected to said superheating unit, an exterior valve-controlled conneetion between said domes, and a valve-controlled header within the superheated steam dome to effect circulation of superheated steam to the respective cylinders.

4. In combination with a superheater for Q locomotives and the like, including an ex terior wet steam dome, and a superheated steam dome, a superheating unit and a dis tributing means from the wet steam dome to the superheating unit, a valve-controlled connection between said domes, and a valve controlled distributing pipe connecting the superheating unit with the superheated steam dome, the respective valves in the connection between the domes and the distributing pipe being alternately operable from open to closed posit-ion to admit, respectively, wet and superheated steam to the superheated steam dome.

5. In combination with a superheater for locomotives and the like, including an exterior wet steam dome, a superheating unit and a distributing means from the wet steam. dome to the superheating unit, an exterior superheated steam dome, an exterior connection between the superheated steam dome and the wet steam dome, having a valve mounted therein, a valve-controlled distributing pipe from the superheater unit to the superheated steam dome, a header within said superheated steam dome, distributing pipes from said header to the respective cylinders, and a valve mounted in said header for controlling the passage of superheated steam from said superheated steam dome into said header.

6. In combination with a superheater for locomotives and the like, including an exterior wet steam dome, a superheater unit including a header and a distributing means from the wet steam dome to the superheater header, an exterior superheated steam dome connected to said superheater unit, an exterior valve connection between the superheated and wet steam domes, said connection having a distributing pipe intermediate said valve and superheated steam dome, and a valvecontrolled header within the superheated steam dome to effect circulation of superheated steam to the respective cylinders.

7. In combination with a superheater for locomotives and the like, including an ex terior wet steam dome, a superheater unit and a distributing means from the wet steam dome to the superheating unit, an exterior superheated steam dome, an exterior connection bet-ween said domes, a valve mounted in said connection, a distributing pipe in the connection intermediate the valve and superheated steam dome, a valve-controlled distributing pipe from the superheater unit to the superheated steam dome, a header within said superheated steam dome, distributing pipes from said header to the respective cylinders, a valve mounted in said header for controlling the passage of steam from the superheated steam dome into said header, the respective valves in the connection between the domes and the distributing pipe between the superheater and superheated steam dome being alternately operable from open to closed position to admit, respectively, wet and superheated steam to the superheated steam dome.

JAMES F. MANTONYA.

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